Motionless In White

Infamous

Uh-oh, what happened here. Motionless In White have always toyed with gothic/industrial vibes on their previous albums, but they have always been a metalcore band through and through. Not so on their third album "Infamous", where I feel like I'm listening to a Marilyn Manson album where metalcore influences have sneaked in on the background. You see, after the first couple of tracks where theatrical/dramatic musicianship is backing distinctly metalcore riffing (think August Burns Red), razor-sharp screaming and post-hardcore oriented cleans, we move straight into industrial territory. Sometimes so much so that I was confused as to whether I was listening to an album by industrial pioneers Ministry rather than one of the more hyped acts within the metalcore scene.

It's a weird (and if you ask me, a slightly psychopathic) listen. The post-hardcore cleans are supremely emo, and cut across hard rock rough cleans (think Five Finger Death Punch), metalcore riffs, and theatrical gothic soundscapes with weird electronic effects that sound like someone just went to a vampire cave and started a rave. And they're not even used very much! Most of the vocals are in Marilyn Manson style, with the occasional foray into koRn's Jonathan Davies' nu-metal low-end shriek. I'm serious - just listen to: "The Divine Infection" and tell me you aren't thinking of "Issues"-era koRn and other nu-metal times from that era? It's really weird, and honestly, doesn't sound any good.

The thing is, when the band stick to piercing metalcore riffs with the classic cleans in the chorus, such as on "Burned At Both Ends", there's no denying of their quality. The riffs slice and dice the listener, and the screams are both ravaging and dominant on the soundscape. The same can't be said about the industrial howls that echo needlessly in the hollow atmosphere. So while the clean choruses (and occasionally the rough clean passages) are relatively well-written and catchy, the same absolutely cannot be said about the industrial meets metalcore mixture that they have going on for large sections of this album. It's not awful, but I'd be surprised if I listened to this album again in the future.